When workpieces are processed on a machine tool, they are often supported on a workpiece support. In particular, when workpieces are cut thermally, there are used workpiece supports that have a plurality of support rails arranged in a parallel manner. The support rails define at the upper sides thereof a support face for the workpiece, for example, a metal sheet, to be processed. The support rails are generally serrated at the upper side thereof so that the workpieces can rest in a point-like manner on the tips of the serrations of the support rails.
During the processing operation, the support rails are heavily contaminated, particularly between the support serrations and at the lateral longitudinal faces thereof in the region of the support serrations. For example, molten metal and slag drips from above onto the support rails during laser cutting of metal sheets and sometimes remains bonded there. From time to time, the support rails have to have the bonded deposits removed.
It is known from WO 2004/043638 A1 to use a mechanical support rail cleaner mentioned in the introduction to clean the support rails. In the support rail cleaner of the prior art, the cleaning members are constituted by a plurality of cleaning teeth that are arranged at mutually facing sides of two tines of a fork-like cleaning member carrier.
To clean a support rail, the support rail cleaner is positioned on the support rail from above so that the support rail is arranged in the intermediate space between the tines of the fork-like cleaning member carrier. The deposits on the support rail are removed by the cleaning member carrier repeatedly being lifted and lowered along the lateral longitudinal faces of the support rail by means of an electric motor. The support rail cleaner is further gradually advanced in the longitudinal direction of the support rail by an operator.